


Changed Man

by fragilecapricornpanic



Series: PRE-WRITTEN, Pre-Canon Sibling Encounters [79]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Abusive Reginald Hargreeves, Angst, Angst and Humor, Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves Friendship, Ben Hargreeves Deserves Better, Ben Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Canon Compliant, Feels, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Ghost Ben Hargreeves, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Dubious Consent, Klaus Hargreeves Deserves Better, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus Hargreeves Needs Help, Klaus Hargreeves Whump, One Shot, One Shot Collection, POV Alternating, Pre-Canon, Protective Ben Hargreeves, Reginald Hargreeves Bashing, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Sad Ben Hargreeves, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:27:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26885854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fragilecapricornpanic/pseuds/fragilecapricornpanic
Summary: Irritated by Klaus constantly burying his head in the sand, Ben huffed. “If you share needles or have unprotected sex it would be recommended.” the rehab doctor grumbled. His brother looked to the ground sheepishly. “What if I’d rather not know?” Klaus mumbled. “Then you could die a very painful, preventable death.” the doctor stated with disinterest. “Sign me up!” Klaus giggled. Ben fiercely marched from the room, deeply offended by how much Klaus took life for granted. All Ben wanted was to be alive.
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves & Reginald Hargreeves
Series: PRE-WRITTEN, Pre-Canon Sibling Encounters [79]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1869709
Kudos: 49





	Changed Man

**Author's Note:**

> Sad/angry Ben and Klaus time

“So I’ve been thinking,” Klaus announced airily as his handcuffs were removed, being pawned off to the staff by the cop. “I didn’t know you could do that.” his least loathed rehab worker John deadpanned. Klaus rolled his eyes, shuffling his arm further up his sleeve to bashfully hide the wristband he still had on from last time. “I think I’m done with this.” Klaus continued, having a guiding hand placed on his back. The other worker slapped a new bracelet on, raising an eyebrow at the evident old one he poorly hid. “I’m over drugs, they’re boring. I don’t need rehab anymore.” John made a noise to imply he was listening but not actually paying attention.

”You should just let me go. Don’t you think I’ve done this enough times? I should get a pass since I’ve done it so much.” Klaus persuasively babbled, tripping and falling straight into the wall. “I think that means the exact opposite.” John remarked dryly, gesturing for Klaus to enter one of the doctor’s offices. “You’re a pessimist, you know that? I’m a changed man! I’m never touching drugs again in my life!” he exclaimed whiningly. Klaus begrudgingly slumped down onto the terribly uncomfortable chair, pouting like a child. His attention was ironically stolen by the doctor when he entered, enthralled by the imminent promise of methadone. John scoffed at his predictable reaction, sauntering down the hall.

Ben rolled his eyes with despair, recalling when his brother was once capable of thinking about other things. “Get labs.” Ben sternly requested, constantly worried about his brother getting sick due to his multitude of reckless behaviours. “ _You_ get labs.” Klaus childishly bit back. The doctor didn’t even bat an eye, probably used to people here legitimately talking to no one. Sometimes _Klaus_ actually talked to no one, Ben knew. “I can run labs.” the doctor muttered as if he’d been addressed, causing petulant disappointment from Klaus that his petty comment had backfired profoundly. “That won’t be necessary.” his brother chirpily sang, smiling with panicked eyes.

Irritated by Klaus constantly burying his head in the sand, Ben huffed. “If you share needles or have unprotected sex it would be recommended.” the doctor remarked, pulling up Klaus’ sleeve to place a blood pressure cuff. His brother looked to the ground sheepishly, tapping his foot with nerves. “What if I’d rather not know?” Klaus mumbled, nibbling on his nails. Ben cringed seeing how goddamn dirty they were. He’d probably get a disease from chewing on them alone. “Then you could die a very painful and torturous, preventable death.” the doctor stated with disinterest. “Sign me up!” Klaus giggled. Ben fiercely marched from the room, deeply offended by how much Klaus took life for granted. All Ben wanted was to be alive.

Following Ben with his eyes, Klaus felt regretful for his comment. He was just afraid of addressing how careless he was every day. “You a big fan?” the doctor murmured, pointing down to the umbrella on Klaus’ arm. Why did he have to pick that fucking arm to get blood pressure from? “Definitely not.” Klaus sighed aggrievedly, not wanting to think about their so called childhood. Especially when he couldn’t go get wasted to cope with it. The doctor leaned backwards to peer down at Klaus’ notes on his desk. He should really change his name. “Well I’ll be damned.” the doctor chuckled, getting back to removing the cuff. “When did you last eat?” he inquired, looking down at the reading. Klaus didn’t know what all the numbers meant. He didn’t know when he last ate either, Ben usually told him that. He shrugged as response. “Drink?” his doctor questioned “Not alcohol.” he quickly added on when Klaus opened his mouth. He shrugged again, having no goddamn idea. Probably weeks, likely the last time he was forced here.

”Which one were you?” the doctor wondered, sitting back onto his wheeled chair. Klaus was so envious, he wanted a wheeled chair too! Which one was he? Klaus stared at the doctor with amusement. One was a goddamn giant, one was Hispanic, one was a woman, one was missing, and one was Asian and dead. “The dead one.” Klaus sarcastically replied when the doctor still looked confused. His doctor snorted softly, not looking up from jotting down his notes. “The Seance.” Klaus reluctantly stated, kind of wishing he _was_ the dead one. “The Seance...” his doctor repeated, looking from his notes to gaze up to the ceiling - clearly wracking his memory. “The one with the ghosts?” he finally asked in earnest. Klaus wheezed, wondering how this guy was a doctor if he didn’t even know what seance meant. He nodded anyway. People didn’t tend to remember him too much anymore, he never actually did anything on missions. Usually he’d get distracted and wander off. Once they’d driven all the way home without him before they’d realised he hadn’t shown up at the end of the mission.

He wanted to chug an entire bottle of methadone due to this topic. “My son was a huge fan. Used to beg for us to let him be adopted by Sir Reginald.” the doctor chuckled nostalgically. Klaus scowled at him, annoyed by his little cutsie trip down memory lane. “Yeah, well I used to wish for the opposite every day.” he drawled with intense resentment. The doctor glanced over to him with a tightly furrowed brow, seeming utterly baffled by that statement. “ _Sir Reginald_ ’s an evil piece of shit. I would’ve wished for him to have just died if I wasn’t so scared of him haunting me.” Klaus admitted bitterly, knowing he would attempt to bolt out of the room if he wasn’t so doped up. Ben was right, he shouldn’t have gotten so high before court. Shit... Klaus felt guilty over his joke about dying. Why was he such an asshole?

The doctor cleared his throat awkwardly, getting back to his scribbling. “I’m gonna order some labs. HIV, hepatitis, standard blood work, and so on.” he explained, clearly uncomfortable by Klaus’ admission of hatred for his dad. Prick. As if he knew literally anything about their dad. “He used to lock me i-“ Klaus began to irately hiss at his doctor before deciding it wouldn’t be worth it. Talking about the mausoleum would just make him feel like shit. Even more than he already did. “Doesn’t matter.” he grunted sulkily, chewing on his nails once again.

His doctor blinked as he tried to process the stunted confession. “We’ll monitor your alcohol withdrawal and medicate if needed, and I’ll start you on methadone once your current high begins to wear off.” he informed cautiously, standing from his unfairly fun chair. Klaus wasn’t sure why he was even bothering telling him, Klaus probably knew this protocol better than he did. “I’m not high!” he lyingly exclaimed, desperate to be even less sober. The doctor grabbed a urine specimen pot and handed it to him firmly. “Then you’ll have no problem doing this for me.” he responded with a sly smirk. Asshole. Klaus huffed with agitation. Whatever, methadone didn’t even make him high anyway. Not actually high. It barely even made withdrawal less horrific. It just kept the ghosts away. That wasn’t enough.

Waiting for his brother outside the door, Ben wondered if he’d be able to manipulate him into _genuinley_ getting sober this time. He knew Klaus would likely feel remorseful over his earlier insensitive quip, maybe Ben could use his guilt as leverage. His brother always either escaped or did things with one of the creepy rehab workers in exchange for a pitiful amount of street drugs. It was so goddamn infuriating. Ben found it alarming how many people there were in these jobs who seemed to work with those like Klaus purely to take advantage of their desperation. “Asshole.” Klaus grumbled under his breath as he unsteadily stormed from the doctor’s office. Ben trailed on behind him, trying to understand what he missed. “What happened?” Ben inquired nervously, noticing his brother throw an empty urine specimen pot into the trash. He missed spectacularly, but the attempt was there.

“I need drugs.” Klaus spat furiously, pulling a bobby pin from his pocket to pick one of the office locks. Ben had watched him do this so many times now, it was almost pre-scripted. “You’ll get methadone.” Ben placated, wishing he could knock the pin from his hand. Or just knock him. Klaus had no idea how lucky he was to be alive. “I need to be _high_.” Klaus hissed, annoyingly successfully unlocking the door. Ben sighed for what must’ve been the fiftieth time today. “I thought it was about the ghosts?” he passive aggressively used Klaus’ own excuse against him. “Fuck you.” his brother snapped defensively, angrily prying the window open to climb out of it. Klaus knew fine well it hadn’t been about the ghosts for a very long time. The (un)funny thing was he thought he wasn’t in denial, since he accepted he was an addict. He just couldn’t accept it wasn’t all able to be blamed on ghosts. Ben’s brother’s addictions were devouring him and annihilating any other parts of himself.

“They’ll send you back to prison.” Ben warned with aggravation, furious he was throwing away yet more of his life. “Prison has drugs.” Klaus grunted, swinging down to a drain pipe. Ben’s facsimile of a heart was in his mouth, his brother was way too out of it to be shimmying down a building. “Why does fucking everything to you revolve around drugs?!” Ben yelled, enraged by his brother’s wildly unhealthy obsession. He was going to die one day. Ben wanted to be alive so much it stung, yet here his brother was making a mockery of the life he was so blessed to have. “Go perv on Vanya or something!” Klaus shouted back, wanting to be left alone. Ben grimaced at his brother’s sarcastic incestuous pervert jibe. Yuck. He wasn’t _Luther_. He just wanted to see Vanya. It wasn’t like observing her without her permission was Ben’s preference. He longed to actually be able to talk to her... another opportunity Klaus was ungrateful to have.

“Maybe I will, and I just won’t come back. I’m so fucking sick of watching you being an asshole every day!” Ben hollered down to his brother as he thankfully reached the ground safely. “I’m gonna go fuck a bunch of guys without condoms and then share a bunch of needles, you prick!” Klaus exclaimed vengefully, making a woman walking by jump out of her skin and rush away. “Fine, go do that then!” Ben bellowed to his brother as he staggered down the block. Klaus harshly threw **GOODBYE** over his shoulder, but the letters were the wrong way up from the angle. “It’s _upside down_ , moron!” Panic set in Ben as he realised Klaus would absolutely do exactly as he’d just claimed, purely out of spite and self-loathing. Ben groaned and phased down to the street, chasing after his brother. “I said perv on Vanya, not _me_!”

**Author's Note:**

> (I don’t think Luther is a pervert these stories are just from their POVs lol)


End file.
